Study Guide for Exam 1: Sustainability, Solid and Hazardous waste
Exam on Monday, September 12th, 2011
College Board Topics Covered
Earth Science: Geological Timescales, Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Volcanism
Pollution: Air pollution, Noise pollution, water pollution, Solid Waste – types, disposal, reduction
Impact of Environment and Human Health: Hazards to Human Health – acute and chronic effects, dose
response relationships, air pollutants, smoking and other risks; Hazardous chemicals in the environment
– types of hazardous waste, treatment/disposal of hazardous waste, cleanup of contaminated sites,
relevant laws; Economic Imacts – Sustainability
Objectives:
1) Students should be able to explain how to make a proportional geological timescale, and the
evidence that supports it.
2) Students should be about to identify sustainable and unsustainable practices and tradeoff
regarding sustainability.
3) Students should be able to Compare and Contrast the 3 components that make up a sustainable
society (Economics, Social and Environmental) and apply them to solid and hazardous wastes.
4) Students should be able to apply the concept of an ecological footprint, and its 5 components to
their own lives.
5) Students should be able to identify the “tragedy of the commons” and apply it to an example.
6) Students should be able to apply and explain how an ecological footprint measures
sustainability.
7) Students should be able to identify the 5 components of an ecological footprint, and apply it to
their household.
8) Students should be able to identify the difference between municipal solid waste and Industrial
solid waste.
9) Students should be able to identify the inputs and outputs of the waste stream.
10) Students should be able to identify Reducing, Reusing and Recycling and explain the order of
energy efficiency (least energy  most energy).
11) Students should be able to explain identify why limiting inputs is more energy efficient than
Reusing or Recycling outputs.
12) Students should be able to identify the percentages of the municipal waste stream (i.e.
percentage of paper, plastic…etc.)
13) Students should be able to identify where municipal solid waste outputs go (i.e. Landfill 54%,
Recycling…etc.)
14) Students will be able to compare and contrast open dump landfills and sanitary landfills.
15) Students will be able to compare and contrast incineration and solid waste sanitary Landfills.
16) Students will be able to identify characteristics that define “Hazardous Wastes”.
17) Students will be able to apply appropriate methods for remediating hazardous waste: physical,
chemical, biological-bioremediation and phytoremediation, technological – plasma torches and
nanomagnets to a case study.
18) Students will be able to compare and contrast hazardous waste storage methods: deep well
disposal, surface impoundments, above ground storage.
19) Students should be able to calculate ground water leachate given the area of a landfill and the
precipitation amount.
20) Students should be able to identify who the concept of Environmental Justice suggests are most
effected by Hazardous waste leakage and environmental degradation.
Vocabulary
Term
Definition
Geological
Timescale
Catastrophic
events
Sustainability
Natural Capital
Natural resources
Natural Services
Ecological
Footprint
5 components of
per capita
ecological
footprint
Sustainable yield
Ecological deficit
Municipal Solid
Waste
Industrial Solid
Waste
Waste Stream
Inputs of Waste
Stream
Outputs of Waste
Stream
Waste Reduction
Waste Reuse
Waste Recycling
Waste Composting
Open Landfill
Sanitary Landfill
Incineration
Hazardous Waste
pollution
Air pollution
leachate
Physical hazardous
waste disposal
Chemical
hazardous waste
disposal
Biological
hazardous waste
disposal
Bioremediation
Phytoremediation
Nanomagnets
Plasma arch torch
Deep well disposal
Surface
impoundments
Above ground
storage facilities
Environmental
Justice
Practice Questions:
Please see your quizzes and the objectives. Additional practice questions will be posted on the website
for you to access over the weekend. Please feel free to email me, text me or call me this weekend if you
have questions studying.